The world’s fascination with the Russian imperial family endures; and with this stunning book a new spotlight is added. Jewels of the Tsars; the first book to examine the family’s unparalleled collection; is illustrated with extraordinary photographs taken under special conditions at the Kremlin’s Diamond Fund; and accompanied by 18th- and 19th-century portraits and photographs of the Tsars; their families; and their court. Prince Michael of Greece; a Romanoff descendant; writes with an insider’s knowledge of his family’s passion for rare and beautiful jewels; and their place in the troubled history of Imperial Russia.
#505874 in Books Lachman Gary 2011-05-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.10 x .90 x 6.10l; .85 #File Name: 086315798X304 pagesThe Quest for Hermes Trismegistus From Ancient Egypt to the Modern World
Review
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. The Hermetic Quest: Lachman's Investigation into the Ur-Philosophy of the Western WorldBy Cryptic CounselorDuring the Renaissance; there was a sage whose work was so legendary that an elderly Cosimo de Medici; eager to read the works of Plato before he died; took his loyal and legendary translator Marsilio Ficino off the job in order to translate the greater man's work. A sage who would cause a stir so great it would trigger a philosophical revolution; change the Vatican's own doctrines; and set off bursts of secretive intellectual and mystical activity to this day. Yet you hardly find this sage mentioned in the syllibi of philosophy or theology classes; or even popular histories. Outside of esotericists and New Agers; his work and impact is virtually forgotten.Who was Hermes Trismegistus? WAS there a Hermes Trismegistus?Gary Lachman- author of many esoteric histories and biographies (the best of which is his The Secret Teachers of the Western World - his most comprehensive history to date)- tries to unravel the strange case of the forgotten ur-philosopher. After a great revival of Hermetic thinking in the 16th century; ultimately culminating in Giordano Bruno's quixotic attempt at reviving the Greco-Egyptian mystery tradition; Hermes suffered a literary blow in popularity when Isaac Casaubon's textual analysis declared the supposedly ancient works of the Corpus Hermeticum to be a pious fraud cooked up in late antiquity by Christian Neoplatonists trying to convert pagans. Given the textual style was that of biblical greek; Casaubon didn't believe it was possible that the Hermetic works could date from before the 1st century BC- and were more likely conceived in Alexandria around 200-300 AD. The Hermetica fell into centuries of disrepute; until 20th century scholars; like Garth Fowden; whose The Egyptian Hermes: A Historical Approach to the Late Pagan Mind took a new textual analysis to the works and determined that they more than likely were a product of an indigenous Egyptian tradition encountering the classical Hellenic mind. Further work by contrarian Egyptologists inspired by esotericist R.A. Schwaller de Lubicz further corroborated Fowden's thesis- indicating that the doctrines found inscribed in ancient Egyptian texts bore a close enough family resemblance to indicate a continuity of tradition between the flourishing of the Kingdom of Egypt and the philosophies that emerged from Alexandria post-hellenization.Lachman is an able guide through not only the history of the Hermetica and the hermetic idea; from ancient Egypt to today; but to the core philosophical ideas themselves. While most of Lachman's work focuses more on the personalities around certain ideas than upon the ideas themselves; The Quest for Hermes Trismegistus shows us more of his speculative side; as he weaves a narrative of how altered consciousness and psychedelic experience has to inform any proper understanding of the Hermetic works (probably informed by the work of Jeremy Naydler; such as Shamanic Wisdom in the Pyramid Texts: The Mystical Tradition of Ancient Egypt). The Gnostics; Pico della Mirandola; Giordano Bruno; Isaac Newton; Freemasonry; Theosophy; The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn; Schwaller de Lubicz; Carl Jung; Julius Evola; Jean Gebser; and even Valentin Tomberg all come into the narrative as Lachman takes one on a tour of the whole range of what Hermetic thinking entails- a comprehensively cosmopolitan; mystical worldview; not unlike the Integral Philosophy of Ken Wilber and Sri Aurobindo; only from a decidedly and uniquely Western point of view.Is the Hermetic quest for you? If you'd like to answer that for yourself; this book is as good an introduction to the full sweep of Hermeticism and what it means for the western mind as you'll find; and it ranks among one of the best places to start with Lachman as well; if you're not quite ready to delve into as substantial a tome as The Secret Teachers. Highly recommended.9 of 9 people found the following review helpful. Deserving of 4 and a half stars; this is a well researched and wonderous "Quest" for the real or mythical Hermes TrimegestisBy HanbledzoinerGary Lackman; After I knew him as the bass player in the band Blondie; moved immediately into writing about the occult in all of its various forms. He has steadfastly produced work consistently and has improved as an Author. This is a very well written very well researched study of the infamous Hermes Trimegestis (thrice great Hermes – from home we get the phrase hermetically sealed tin can. To be a hermetic automatically implies hermitage and secrecy. No one fully knows the origin of this entity known as Hermes; but Mr Lachman has done an awfully good job at trying to find out. Hermes Trimegestis is attributed as the originator of the phrase "As above; so below" which has enthralled spiritual seekers since time immemorial; which is exactly where Hermes Trimegestis lives.Any study of such a complex and mysterious real or mythical personage requires great diligence and the earnest hard work Mister Lachman Has undertaken for all of his books. The only reason I can't say I love it is that the quest for Hermes Trimegestis will always turn in circles in the sand of Egypt – but then I like very much Mister Lackman's approach; so that I wish I could give it four and a half stars.25 of 26 people found the following review helpful. A delightful reunionBy A. W. MesokosmosI am a writer and a musician as Lachman. I first came across his literary output some ten years ago when I read his Turn Off Your Mind; which is a book about the sixties spiritual revival. The book was thorough but left me with a sense of disappointment which was hard to nail down. Having been what I like to think of as an ardent student of esoterica from my teens I somehow felt I had met one more disappointed reductionist who wanted to scythe down every new sprout of genuine insight that might be found in the overflowing dirtpot that was the counter-culture sixties spirituality. I felt that he had missed the essence of what the self-nominated followers of Gurdjieff; Castaneda; La Vey; Crowley; Timothy Leary et al. were all about. Then I came across his Quest for Hermes Trismegistus and found out just how wrong I had been about his true colors. This book is a delight. It is well constructed with impeccable research and scrupulous notation. The style Lachman has acquired during the years is almost dazzlingly amicable; sensible; yet fearless. He tackles his humunguous subject matter with grace and swift eloquence worthy of the less than tangible intellectual thicket he covers. The book tells no more; no less than the story of a great; now submerged network of potent ideologies with twists and turns to make it a bit like a detective story sprinkled with romance. And even more; he takes a stance which is for the re-enchantment of the world; and proposes an integratory curriculum for our tormented age. A rare voice; a fine scholar; a mighty storyteller; this book is a joy to read and offers spiritual nourishment for days; weeks and years to come. (And I definitely am going to read his other books on the occult too. Already started the one about Madame Blavatsky.)